Most Wanted: Programmers And Developers

Just as they had predicted before the start of the year, IT leaders said that programmers and developers were the most difficult positions to fill, with architects second, followed by – in order – big data/analytics roles, help desk/technical support, and security.

"As digital transformation continues to progress, the sheer increase in actionable data produced explains the jump in the need for those possessing big data-specific skill sets," TEKsystems wrote in a statement. As for help desk and tech support, which was not in the top five at the start of the year, TEKsystems believes that the need to provide support for advanced productivity tools, such as "sophisticated collaboration" applications, may be pushing up demand for people to fill those roles.

But close to half of those surveyed said a lack of qualified talent is one of the biggest barriers to filling open IT roles, along with a shallow talent pool and insufficient budget to meet salary demands.

Channel take: If clients can't fill key roles, maybe you can through a service or contract hire offering.